Black Friday is here and bigger than ever, and some retailers have been heavily discounting goods since the start last week, in an attempt to persuade shoppers to part with their cash.

Amazon's Black Friday deals will last for a bumper 12 days this year, while Morrisons has cut prices for a week, and Tesco extended its offers to 11 days and the deals being touted are tempting.

Big discounts are on offer on leading brands to encourage shoppers into buying their Christmas presents early and shoppers are expected to spend £2.31 million per minute on Black Friday, according to Vouchercodes.co.uk and the Centre for Retail Research.

Black Friday is back with a host of discounts and deals for shoppers from the big brands

However, it's easy to be drawn into the hype and often the 'bargains' on offer are not quite what they seem.

Half of Black Friday deals are too good to be true and consumer group Which? has warned that consumers could be getting a better deal buying on other days of the year.

It tracked deals for 20 gadgets and home appliances and found that 49 per cent of items were cheaper before or after Black Friday.

Yet despite the hype, we're expected to spend £6.77bn online over the Black Friday and Cyber Monday period, according to IMRG and SimilarWeb, which has predicted a rise of 16 per cent in spending compared to last year.

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So if you're preparing to cash-in on the deals available and want to avoid getting ripped off, it's important you are aware of your consumer rights and can see through the headline prices to make sure you're not spending more than you need to.

If you're planning to grab a bargain, here's our guide to finding a good deal without going bankrupt.

1. Know your consumer rights

Some shops will only accept returns on sale goods if the item is faulty, not if you just changed your mind, so always check the terms and conditions before you buy.

When buying online you'll have 14 days as standard to return something, while in store it's 28, although some retailers have extended this.

If you need a repair, replacement or refund you can do so if the item was bought within 30 days. If it was bought within six months, you are entitled to get it repaired or replaced once. If it's more than six months old you can get a repair or replacement but a refund will reflect the current price, not the price you paid for it.

2. Watch out for dodgy electrical gifts

Before you hand your money over on that new washing machine or microwave, if it's faulty you'll not only lose out financially, it could potentially be very dangerous.

The charity Electrical Safety First (which has a full guide on how to spot fake products) says nine million of us have bought fake electrical products before. It warns that if the price is below the recommended retail value then there's a risk it could be fake.

Before you buy also check the product reviews and make sure you know where the supplier is based as it says many fake goods are manufactured overseas, where they aren't safety tested.

If you suspect a product is fake or dangerous, get in contact with your local trading standards office or Citizens Advice.

10 OF THE BEST-VALUE BLACK FRIDAY BARGAINS

If you are going to part with your cash today, here are 10 of the best bargains we've spotted, if you see better deals let us know in the comments section below.

The pressure to get something at a lower price before it sells out is high on Black Friday but before you buy anything online make sure the website you're using is genuine. Secure websites start with 'https' and will have a padlock symbol in the URL bar.

If you're still not sure, search for the company online and check the contact details are the same as those on the website, and watch out for spelling and grammar mistakes which should highlight a bogus website.

Spending spree: Shoppers are expected to spend £2.31 million per minute on Black Friday

4. If you're buying on Amazon check historical prices

Is that Amazon Kindle a real bargain or has the retailer just hiked the price to make the discount look better? The website CamelCamelCamel.com tracks the historical price of Amazon items. Just enter the URL into the website and you can see how good the current discount really is.

5. Scammers are targeting Amazon shoppers via email

As Black Friday is the most popular shopping day, fraudsters are likely to be out in force targeting shoppers into handing over their cash. Therefore it's important to be extra vigilant when receiving emails about special deals.

A fake Amazon email has already been reported which tells recipients their order 'cannot be shipped' and asks them to click a link within the email to confirm the account. But this is a fake email and by entering your personal details, you could be putting your personal and financial accounts at risk.

John Lewis is one of the big brands participating in Black Friday with big discounts on brands

6. Get extra cashback on your shopping

With cashback websites, such as TopCashBack and Quidco, you'll receive extra money back for the items you buy, if you go first to the cashback site and click the affiliated link.

For example, with TopCashBack there's 14.3 per cent cashback available through New Look, 11 per cent with Boden, up to £10 cashback through Waitrose and up to £27.50 on AO.com.

7. Check electrical goods are covered

Electrical goods, such as TVs or tablets, usually come with a free warranty for the first year. This covers the item should it break or stop working during this time period but in order to activate the cover you will usually need to register the item online.

8. If delivery's delayed it's the retailer's responsibility

Anything you buy on Black Friday, or any day of the year, should be delivered to you safely and on time.

If it's late, faulty or doesn't turn up, it's the responsibility of the retailer to get the item to you or provide you with a full refund.

9. Do your research before you hit the shops

Instead of dashing to your local shopping centre, check online first to find out where the best bargains will be. You'll be able to find both online and in-store discounts (we've covered several of the big hitters so far) which will avoid you shelling out more than you planned.

And remember, no matter how good a bargain looks, if you can't afford it then it's not worth buying. Before looking at the discounts available work out write a list of what you want to buy and the budget you can realistically afford.

10. Avoid the hype and save your cash

There's no denying it, Black Friday is over-hyped and overrated and if you don't fancy hitting the shops or scouring retailers online, you can always just wait until the another sale comes around.

As Alex Neill, managing director of home and legal at Which?, said: 'Don't believe the hype - Which? has shown that Black Friday isn't all it's cracked up to be.

'Whether you're looking to bag a bargain online or in-store this weekend, do your research so you stand a chance of knowing whether you're getting a good deal and don't buy for the sake of buying.'

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